Magical storytelling that bringing us closer online. I’m a cynic at heart, and have always known that stage magic is a matter of sleight of hand, misdirection and trickery to pull off an act. And when magic is performed via a digital medium, one cannot help but suspect its ‘authenticity’ even more, given how easy it is to manipulate videos and video feeds. But there’s … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Journey by Scott Silven (SIFA 2021)
An encounter with a refugee opens our eyes to the human pain behind the conflict. Moving to a new home can be hard. But it’s especially hard for refugees from war-torn nations finding themselves in a strange new land, reeling from the trauma of the past, adapting to their new life, and resisting strangers’ dirty looks and the creeping fear of feeling completely, absolutely alone. … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: As Far As Isolation Goes by Tania El Khoury and Basel Zaara (SIFA 2021)
With the announcement of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) on 14 May 2021, The Theatre Practice (Practice) confirms that their upcoming interactive murder mystery The Bride Always Knocks Twice — Killer Secrets will continue as a fully digital production. This marks the second major Practice production affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, after Four Horse Road 2020’s early closure last April. “ We’re disappointed but the show … Continue reading Practice’s ‘The Bride Always Knocks Twice – Killer Secrets’ goes fully digital
Cross-continent, multilingual hybrid adaptation of Chekhov a valiant effort but flawed in execution. Ideally, collaborations between arts companies should produce work that take the very best of each company’s style and elevate the final production to new heights. It is especially exciting to see cross-border collaborations, where the contrasts in artistic philosophy and culture may lead to surprising results. But collaborations are by no means … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Three Sisters by Nine Years Theatre and SITI Company (SIFA 2021)
It’s not often you come across a local musician whose music becomes an instant earworm, not just for its production, but even in the artist’s voice and lyrics. That’s something we see in YAØ, Universal Music Singapore’s latest signee, who makes his debut with the label with a lush and euphonious self-produced debut single, ‘I Can’t Sleep’. “I think it’s been a blessing, and I’m … Continue reading Music Is: An Interview with YAØ on ‘I Can’t Sleep’ in his Universal Music Singapore debut
The last time we spoke to Dean Lewis in 2019, the Australian singer-songwriter had just released his debut studio album A Place We Knew with several hit singles, going on to win Album of the Year, Best Male Artist, and Song of the Year (for “7 Minutes“) at the 2019 ARIA Awards. If anything, Dean proved he was one to watch, and that the hard … Continue reading Feeling Down but Falling Up: An Interview with Dean Lewis on his new single
How much are your morals worth? Actors have never had it easy. You can choose to be an Artist with a capital A, and continue struggling unless you miraculously become a hit. Or you can dive into the nebulous world of film, take on questionable roles and be labelled a hack or sellout. In HuM Theatre’s newest production, the local company tackles the complications of … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes by HuM Theatre
Food has always held a strong place in our hearts. Why? Because it’s never just about the taste; it’s about the memories and people associated with it. All this and more is captured in the new Viddsee original documentary series Memories On A Plate, celebrating local cuisine as it brings people together and provides a way to understand the world around us. Directed by Ng … Continue reading Viddsee original documentary series Memories on a Plate launched for Singapore HeritageFest
Feeling hungry for some poetry? Local digital storytelling studio Tusitala is here to satisfy your cravings, with their new website Local Flavours. Launched as part of Singapore HeritageFest 2021, the interactive site gathers 15 Singapore-based illustrators and 15 local poets, as they each contribute an illustration or poem inspired by some of our favourite hawker foods. Curated by poet and critic Daryl Lim, the inspiration … Continue reading Tusitala ‘delivers’ food and poetry with Local Flavours
Planting the seeds of hope in this unique sound installation highlighting the casualties of war. They say that a single death is a tragedy; a million deaths, a statistic. And for countries like Syria, where war has ravaged its citizens for years, the shadow of death is always looming, almost second nature at this point. For a Singaporean who has likely never witnessed or experienced … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Gardens Speak by Tania El Khoury (SIFA 2021)
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